The next day, Mo Su showed up at the Heavenly Demon Palace's main hall with dark circles under his eyes.
Palace Master Mo Lie saw the state of his disciple, frowned, set aside the jade slip in his hand, and asked directly,"Mo Yue beat you yesterday? Why didn't you heal?"
"Mo Yue Zūnshàng told me to leave it. Otherwise, she'd just beat me up again." Mo Su's voice was flat, not a ripple in it.
Mo Lie felt his own face sting when he heard that. Demon cultivators' techniques were usually domineering, their demonic qi violent, so body cultivation was standard.
Mo Su's physique was Pure Yin, so from the very beginning he'd practiced body refinement. For Mo Yue to leave visible marks on his face, and without even channeling demonic qi, meant she'd used a terrifying amount of strength.
"Mo Yue's getting more and more unreasonable. Don't she know you're about to take over? How are you supposed to face anyone like this?" Mo Lie wasn't happy. He'd never so much as laid a finger on his own disciple.
"Mo Yue said I can use my technique to heal the day before the succession ceremony."
"Hmph!"
"Mo Yue also said she'll come see you in the next couple days, and catch up while she's at it."
Mo Su glanced at his master, then spoke softly. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Mo Lie's mouth twitched, but in the end he didn't say anything, just nodded to show he understood.
"Palace Master, Mo Zhang Zūnshàng has arrived!"
As the guard announced, Mo Zhang stepped straight into the hall.
"Greetings, Mo Zhang Zūnshàng!"
Mo Su bowed deeply. Mo Zhang's eyes flicked to the panda-like bruises around his eyes. He curved his lips in amusement before letting Mo Lie invite him into the side hall.
Knowing the two had matters to discuss, Mo Su tactfully left.
Once seated, Mo Zhang chuckled. "Mo Su got that from Mo Yue, didn't he?"
"Yeah, and she won't let him heal it. Completely overbearing."
Mo Lie didn't dare admit he'd already complained to Mo Yan Zhēnzūn. Instead, he changed the subject."Chief Mo Zhang, what brings you here today?"
"Yesterday Mo Yan Zhēnzūn summoned me. He laid out the specific tasks for the Black-Robed Guard. He wants Mo Yue to enter their division first, tidy things up, and after Mo Su takes over, we'll slowly spread out and reorganize the entire Heavenly Demon Palace."
Mo Lie wasn't surprised. When he'd gone to complain, Zhēnzūn had already said as much. But he still didn't understand why Zhēnzūn valued Mo Yue so highly, even letting her into the Black-Robed Guard.
Mo Zhang seemed to read his doubts but didn't explain. He just continued, "The Black-Robed Guard will mainly focus on raising combat strength. As for the power structure across the sect's peaks, Palace Master, we'll need your full cooperation."
"Alright, I understand."
Guest Hall
Yue Liang had already linked up with Jian Xu and was delivering the news she'd brought.
"Zūnshàng ordered me to come to you first."
"Mm. Did you finish the beast clan matter?" Jian Feng asked with a smile.
"Yes. I escorted my clansmen to the beast tribe, then received Zūnshàng's message. I learned the Bai Jue clan leader advanced to the eighth rank, and the beast clan will also attend the ceremony. The Nine-Tailed Beast Lord arranged for the raccoon clan to represent the beasts at the Heavenly Demon Palace, so I took on the escort mission."
"Good. Jian Lu's been sent on a covert Law Enforcement Hall mission, so he can't show his face."
Jian Xu explained.
Yue Liang narrowed her dark, beady eyes and flicked her fluffy tail, showing she understood.
For the next two days, the Heavenly Demon Palace buzzed with activity. Representatives from every sect came one after another to attend the succession ceremony.
The five outer peaks grew lively too. Cultivators from other sects crowded in to view the blood plum blossoms, ink-cloud orchids, ghost-wailing bamboo, and longevity chrysanthemums.
Back when Jian Dan was at the Heavenly Demon Palace, it was during a trip to admire the blood plum blossoms on the outer peaks that she'd run into Ma Feijun.
Mo Yue's Cave, Mo Yan Peak
"Bring Gong Yi here."
"Yes."
Chun Yu answered immediately and left.
After absorbing moonlight essence all night, Xiao Yue bounded around Jian Dan in high spirits, begging for pets.
She stroked the small crescent mark on his forehead, then handed him a plate of crystal fruits to gnaw on.
"Zūnshàng, you summoned me."
"I've rested for three days now, and I've read through the jade slips Mo Yi sent me. Now I've just got some questions. Say what you know, and if you don't, that's fine too."
"Yes, Zūnshàng!"
"How's the Ma family doing?"
"Two clan leaders died in succession. The family took a huge hit. They picked a new leader from a side branch, but the Ma clan's already fallen to a third-rate cultivation family."
Gong Yi glanced at Jian Dan, replying respectfully.
"Oh? A camel that dies of hunger is still bigger than a horse. For them to fall so far in just fifty years, that's fast."
Jian Dan smiled faintly.
"Not long after you went missing, the Ma family's direct bloodline cultivators were assassinated one after another, and none of them died honorably. Soon after, rumors spread that the Ma clan used female cultivators as furnaces, sucking their cultivation to raise their own. That enraged the masses, and they lost all support."
The Black-Robed Guards had long suspected this was Mo Yue Zūnshàng's hidden retaliation. After all, the Ma family had gone too far back then, trying to force Mo Yue into their clan. When she refused, they even joined hands with remnants of the Mo Ying Peak to try to kill her.
Mo Yue Zūnshàng had only executed the main culprit, Ma Wen, and that was already lenient, for the Heavenly Demon Palace's sake.
But Jian Dan knew better. The ones she'd freed back then, the female cultivators Ma Feijun had captured and used as furnaces, were the ones who'd taken revenge. The Ma clan's downfall was the proof of their success.
"The Ma family brought it on themselves."
She summed it up in one sentence.
"What about Yun Rong?"
"The young palace master's been locked in seclusion this whole time, hasn't come out yet."
Jian Dan lowered her gaze, thinking. With Mo Lie's personality, after Yun Rong suffered such a loss, Miao Yanli had most likely perished. Yun Rong must have taken a huge hit to her cultivation, still struggling to recover.
"And the Tang family?"
"They lost a Zhēnzūn. They came here to the Heavenly Demon Palace a few times to stir trouble, but with you gone, the Palace Master used that excuse to brush them off. He redirected their attention toward the reclusive Jian clan, since Tang Yi vanished after chasing a Jian clan cultivator."
"Tch. I said it back then, if it's not theirs, they shouldn't touch it. They just had to hold on, and ended up throwing their lives away."
Jian Dan sneered, then picked up Xiao Yue, who'd finished his fruit and was pawing at her. She settled him on her lap and gently combed his fur.
"I remember before the second trip into the Ming Valley, I'd already sent both a greeting post and a challenge to the Tang clan."
"Yes."
"If they come again, give them a message. Tell them Mo Yue's waiting anytime."
"Yes, I'll remember."
Just then, Xia He stepped in and bowed. "Zūnshàng, the Hua family seeks an audience. They say they're here to report on the matter you assigned them."
"Oh? The Hua family? Invite them in."
"Yes."
"Gong Yi, you can go. I'll call if I need you."
"Yes, Zūnshàng."
On his way out, Gong Yi crossed paths with a man and woman, both in mid-Divine Transformation.
Hua Xi and Hua Lei spotted Gong Yi and instantly felt his cultivation outstripped theirs. They exchanged a cautious glance.
Xiahe led them straight to the peach blossom tree, where Zūnshàng had taken to meeting guests.
"Hua Xi and Hua Lei pay respects to Mo Yue Zūnshàng!"